Bsnl Aims 250,000 Wimax Subscribers By Year-End

[savramesh 37]

Source

A senior BSNL official has revealed that the company plans to have a user base of at least 250,000 WiMax customers by the end of 2010.

The intentions were revealed in an interview with Telecom Yatra where the unnamed official also added that currently, BSNL's WiMax subscriber base has only 3,000 users. The state-owned telecom service provider recently launched WiMax services in Gujarat, Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh and has 210 base stations spread across North and East India. BSNL has plans to launch its WiMax services in the urban centres of Kerala and Punjab by next month.

This is apart from the 1,000 base stations in rural areas that are also set to be commissioned next month. Looks like BSNL has big plans for the wireless broadband segment. The growth in this sector, however, will be directly proportional to the impetus that BSNL puts into creating a robust WiMax network. Then, there is the tariff factor as well which will decide if BSNL will be really able to achieve its target subscriber base of 250,000 subscribers by year-end.

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BSNL needs to have good CC... without it, it cannot be doing good..

[savramesh 37]

BSNL rolls out India's first urban mobile WiMAX service

BSNL commercially launched the country's first mobile broadband fourth generation Internet access network--Mobile WiMAX in Kerala, making it the first state in urban India to have the facility.

Union minister of state for Agriculture and Consumer Affairs and Ernakulam MP, K V Thomas, launched the facility at a function.

BSNL is also the first operator in India which has launched the service, for which technology has been provided by AVIAT, formerly Harris Stratex.

WiMAX (Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access) technology, can provide a speed of up to 37 mbps. It is being deployed in Kerala with 900 BTS (Base Transmitting Stations) to cover the entire state, E M Abraham, Principal General Manager, BSNL, Ernakulam said.

In the first phase, 450 BTS would be set up to cover all major cities,all district headquarters and important towns at a project cost of about Rs 100 crore. Roaming would initially be available within Kerala. Twentyfive BTS to cover Ernakulam city, Tripunithura, Kalamassery, Aluva and Angamally muncipalities were commissioned today and another 59 are to be commissioned soon.

In the second phase, another 450 BTS would be commissioned to cover remaining towns and all imporatnt locations.

The new technology will provide access to broadband at a cost performance ratio that is far better than any other technology, he said.

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^^^ it all boils down to the price at which this will be offered.. Rimwebians from kerala could put some throw of light on this..

[savramesh 37]

BSNL needs to have good CC... without it, it cannot be doing good..

BSNL has 1 lakh excess staff: Panel

[me_saket 73]

BIZ std

BSNL should reduce its staff by a third: Pitroda panel

A committee headed by Sam Pitroda, advisor to the Prime Minister, has suggested that state-run telecom major Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) should retire or transfer about 100,000 of its employees through measures such as a voluntary retirement scheme (VRS). This is a third of BSNL’s total employee strength, of 300,000 across the country.

To improve organisational performance and employee productivity substantially, BSNL should induct young talent in all spaces – technology, marketing, customer services and sales, the committee said in its report.

BSNL should also start a performance-driven culture and complete the absorption of staff from the Indian Telecommunication Service without delay. A restructuring of BSNL is already underway, under which four business units would be created for fixed access, mobility, enterprise and new businesses.

The committee also suggested creation of a separate subsidiary to hold a bank of underdeveloped land and other real estate assets, estimated to be about 2.5 million sq metres, and unutilised staff quarters. It should monetise the value of this subsidiary by collaborating with an experienced real estate company.

The committee, which also had HDFC Chairman Deepak Parekh and Union telecom secretary P J Thomas as its members, was set up to review the functioning of BSNL. For the first time, BSNL is expected to post a loss, due to increased competition and declining market share. Further, procedural delays on purchase of equipment and dependence on the government for decision making also hamper growth.

BSNL’s 93-million lines GSM tender has been on hold for a long while due to various controversies. The company faces huge capacity crunch in many places and has been constantly losing subscribers and market share.

The committee also recommended scrapping of the 93-million line tender. It said BSNL should follow a lease arrangement for telecom equipment, rather than purchase. Private telecom companies follow such a model for expansion. With this model, BSNL would reduce its capital expenditure, besides reducing its problem of having shortage of young trained engineers in the latest technologies, the panel felt.

Edited March 4, 2010 by me_saket

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^^^ really this needs to be done...